One look at Valerious manor and the sense of loss became eminent. Lord Gabor and Lord Valerious had never thought that this could happen. Both of their children were gone, dead within ten minutes of each other. Neither of them could blame the other. Although this would not have happened had they not been in love, no one could deny that Vladislaus and Verishka had given each other the happiest years of their lives.
The day after the fateful fight, the two had been laid to rest. They were laid next to each other in the Valerious family crypt. For their parents, they had laid there for only a day, but it wouldn't set in. Both of them had lost wives, so their children were their entire lives. Now, they had somehow managed to outlive their entire families. That wasn't suppose to happen.
Two days after the funeral, life had been resumed aside from the grief-stricken manor. The cemetery laid on the outside of Vaseria, and most of the time went un visited. As fog began to roll in, all of nature seemed to quiver. Dogs howled, horses became restless, and the trees shook in their roots. Then, without much other warning, the entryway of the crypt began to glow a piercing red light. Strangely enough, it went unnoticed.
Inside the crypt, where the two coffins laid, the one that held Vladislaus began to have the lid lifted off from the inside. As Vladislaus shoved the lid off of the coffin he began to look around. The devil had been true to his word. He had a new life. He placed a hand over his chest but felt nothing. So he was dead, he thought to himself. But now he and Verishka could live forever. Suddenly he heard a moan from the coffin next to him. He pushed the lid off of it to see Verishka gazing around.
"Hello darling," he said smiling. She shot up into he arms.
"My love, I thought I had lost you forever. But how is this? Why are we..." she started to ask.
"We have been given new lives, ones that cannot be touched by pain or time," he told her recalling the devil's world.
Vladislaus climbed out of the coffin and gave Verishka his hand to help her out. She stumbled slightly, but he held onto her.
"Come dear, shall we pay a visit to our grieving family?" he asked.
"How is it God decided to bring us back?" she asked.
"God has nothing to do with what we are, Verishka," he said as they began to walk towards the manor.
"Then why have we been brought back?" she asked.
"Thank Satan my love," he said stopping in his tracks. Verishka stopped as well and he held out his arms. Although something troubled her about Satan and Vladislaus. she still went to his embrace.
"Do not worry, not even Satan can make me harm you," he said, stroking her head. Had he read her mind? It had seemed so. Perhaps she could do the same, she thought to herself. While wrapped in his arms she focussed on him and him alone. As if he was clearly speaking she heard, "Please don't fear me, your are all I have now," but his lips never moved. She gazed up at him in confusion and he said, "I see you have discovered one of the many benefits of the new life we have been granted."
"I could never fear you," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. They began walking again towards the manor, with a million questions running through Verishka's mind, and a million ideas and plans running through Vladislaus's.
"I must say my dear, I half expected you to leave with Van Helsing, not kill yourself to be with me," Dracula said.
"Well, things sometimes go differently than planned," she said, quietly.
"Indeed," Vladislaus said, dropping the subject, afraid he would reveal the information of their son to her.
Once they reached the manor, they went directly to the dinning hall where Lord Valerious and Lord Gabor sat, Vladislaus began to speak.
"Hello father," he said smoothly.
"Lord Valerious turned around and went into shock at the sight of his son and daughter-in-law whom he had thought was dead. Although it was them, they were different. They were both paler, and Vladislaus's blue eyes began to look like ice in contrast with his jet black hair. Verishka's hair seemed shorter, and the waves were more defined. It also seemed to have a few strands of gold amidst the chocolate brown. Her deep brown eyes also seemed to have new flecks of red in them. Lord Gabor also turned around to almost have a heart attack at the sight of his daughter and her husband. Lord Gabor did not wait, he bolted for his daughter and held her tighter than ever before. She feebly returned the hug and pulled away from him to see tears in his eyes. However, Lord Valerious simply stood at the table.
"I had thought you would be a little happier to see me, father," Vladislaus said.
"How is this possible? How did you... What in God's name are you" he asked.
"As I told Verishka, God has nothing to do with what we are, Satan does," Vladislaus grinned.
"How has this happened?" Lord Gabor asked.
"Death did not suite me well, Lord Gabor. Nor did I think it suited Verishka. The devil made me a better offer, two for one if you will," he said walking to the center of the room, leaving Verishka in the doorway.
"I am the devil's as well?" Verishka asked. She had not truly though about it, but it made sense.
"Vladislaus how could you? Make a deal with the devil," his father asked.
"I asked God for one more day on earth, to say goodbye to those I loved. To leave Verishka with a final kiss, not sobbing for my untimely demise. But I was denied even that. I was given a better offer," he said beginning to raise his voice. Lord Gabor again went to embrace his daughter, but she walked towards Dracula where he stood, leaving her father there. She held onto his arm and spoke to him in her mind, "I had no idea, you did it all for me."
"Time was stolen from us dear," he said quietly, "do not worry father, I have not come back to seek revenge on Van Helsing or Verishka.'
"Revenge or no there is no excuse for dealing with the devil," Lord Valerious said.
"Yes, and dragging my daughter into the picture! Lord Gabor snapped.
"Your daughter was in hell! Bela, she was being burned and scorched and ripped apart over and over again. I know it's hard to think, someone as perfect as Verishka in hell, but she was. She killed herself for me. Is that what you want? For her to burn in hell? Or would you rather have her here!" he yelled.
"Verishka come with us, you do not need to be with this damned creature," her father said, reaching for her arms, but she quickly pulled away.
"I'm just as damned as he is!" she screamed. She backed away from her father and was grateful to have backed into Dracula. He held her tenderly and she rested her head against his chest. As she began to cry lightly, Dracula stroked her head. Without warning Verishka suddenly felt most of her strength leave her as her knees collapsed.
"It's all right, I've got you," he said as he picked her up, cradling her in his arms bridal style.
"Verishka," Lord Gabor said, beginning to walk toward her.
"I think it's best if I take it from here," Dracula said, giving Lord Gabor a sinister grin. Bela tried to follow, but Valerious held him back.
Dracula began to walk out of the room and down the hall as the sun set with Verishka in his arms.
"Vladislaus I..." she started weakly.
"Shhh, it's all right my love. You need to feed, and so do I."